Marc Krauss drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks

Marc Krauss, a junior at Ohio University and a current member of the 2009 Southern Ohio Copperheads, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round of this evening's MLB Draft. He was the 64th overall selection.

Krauss set a single-season school record with 27 home runs for the Bobcats this past spring, and he also tied the school mark with 70 runs batted in.  The Deshler, Ohio, native hit .402 and led the Bobcats to an 18-9 record in the Mid-American Conference and a three seed in the conference tournament.

There will be a story on copperheadbaseball.com tomorrow about Krauss and the selection, so keep your eyes out for that. Also coming to the site soon are features on David Starn and Gauntlett Eldemire.

Until then, here are some notes on the big day for the slugger:

• This was not a surprise. Scouts were present at many Ohio games throughout the 2009 season, especially in Chillicothe at the conference tournament.
• The stock really began to rise on Krauss after his stellar season with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod league. He hit .353 with three homers and 31 runs batted in. That, plus an astronomical year statistically this spring, pushed him into day one of the draft.
• Krauss will most likely sign with the Diamondbacks, but the question is when. Until he signs a contract, Krauss can still play for Southern Ohio. Once he does sign, his possible starting spots include Missoula, Mont. (rookie league), Yakima, Wash. (low A), South Bend, Ind. (A, and within driving distance of his home) or maybe even Visalia, Calif. (A advanced).
• From an offensive standpoint, the guy is a beast. Power to all fields, fundamentally sound, good plate discipline, decent speed for a big guy. He played first base, third base, left field, and right field in his college career. If you ask me, he projects as an outfielder (probably left) going forward. Nonetheless, getting to watch him while doing play-by-play for the Ohio baseball team was a treat. He is fun to watch.
• So, odds are Krauss will not be in Athens the whole summer, as the deadline to sign a draft pick is August 15. My guess is that he signs fairly quickly, so anything the Copperheads get out of Krauss should be appreciated.
• Interesting note: Krauss is an Indians fan, and the Tribe passed on the left-handed slugger twice, including at pick 63 (one slot before the D-Backs' selection). 
• To hear from Krauss, tune in to the Sears Sports Fan on 970 WATH in Athens Wednesday night at 6:06 p.m., as Caleb Troop and I will have the Bobcat-turned-Diamondback in-studio to talk about the draft. He is a personable guy and a great interview, so you will enjoy the interview. You can also tune in on athensi.com (click on the 'WATH AM' link on the right side of the page) or listen to the podcast at thesportsfan.mypodcast.com.

Our new website will be debuting sometime this week, so keep an eye out for that. One week until the Green and Gold scrimmage! Go Copperheads!

- Brian